Little Monster
by fairytayle
Summary: A failed transformation turns Eren into his six-year-old self, with his memories almost completely gone. The Military Police saw it as a golden opportunity to rid the titan-shifter once and for all. (ratings will change)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey lovely person who clicked here! I don't have too much of an exact idea how long this is going to be and that sort of thing, but I do know there's going to be a rather lot of fluff and hurt/comfort. **

**Both negative and positive feedback will be extremely appreciated! \(^.^)/**

There was a blinding flash, and the hiss of steam filled my ears and shrouded my vision.

In the sudden heat, I faintly realize there was one thought that lingered momentarily in my mind:

_Fuck._

Unfortunately, I had no clue on what it meant.

As the steam swirled and faded away, so did the heat, and I was left standing in miserable coldness.

Where was I?

In the dim light, I could only hear the crawling of rats and spiders, and see that all around me was a spherical wall of man-made rock, surrounding me in a seemingly endless spiral.

I looked upwards.

From where I stood, I could see a small circular patch of sky from a distant opening up above – clear and brilliantly blue.

"Eren? You okay in there?" A woman's voice echoed through, and I tilted my head further backwards to see a small blotch of black against the bright sky.

Who is that?

"Oh my god, guys! Something weird's happened!" The voice shouted excitedly and then suddenly more blots of black disrupted the view of the sky, bobbing around the edges of the circular opening.

A shadow of an arm reached out and then something long was descending rapidly towards me. I flinched and took a step away as a rope was whipped down onto one side of the wall, swaying slightly side to side. There was a voice from above telling me to grab onto it, so although I had no clue what was going on, I did as I was told and cautiously grabbed onto the rope with both hands. Soon I felt the rope being pulled upwards, and I looked down to see the ground I was previously standing on get smaller and smaller.

The light was blinding when I was finally out of what appeared now to be a well, and I had to squint and shield my eyes to look around. Unfamiliar faces surrounded me, all staring with surprised expressions, and there was one overly excited woman with glasses who came skipping up to me.

"Eren! It's still you isn't it?" She spoke fast, and I nodded slightly as I felt my eyes adjusting to the brightness. "Oh my god, you're tiny!"

I am?

I looked down to see my body, and found it was the same as usual. Same size, same everything except the clothes, which seemed a lot too big for me.

Weird.

The woman with glasses continued to squeal on about something, I realized, and I tuned in just in time to hear her squeaking about how 'little Eren was a complete cutie' and how 'she had to show Levi'.

What the hell was she talking about?

And suddenly the woman was dragging me by the arm towards a large castle-like building, talking excitedly. "I have no idea what happened, but I gotta show this to Levi! Do you remember who he is? Actually do you remember who anyone is? Do you still have the mind of your fifteen year- old self? How old are you now anyway? If you don't, well then I'm Hanji, nice to meet you! I would just love to experiment with you; this is _so_ interesting! You know how you…"

Well, she likes to talk, doesn't she?

Filtering Hanji's ecstatic blabbering out of my hearing, I looked around at the inside of the castle. It was impeccably clean, I realized, and the walls and floor almost seemed to sparkle in its ridiculously dust-free state. I felt a stab of guilt as I looked down to see my oversized boots leaving small tracks of dirt on the gleaming floor. How does concrete even gleam anyway?

"We're here!" Hanji announced, and she burst through a set of excessively shiny doors, calling 'Levi' in a singsong voice.

From behind her back, I could just see a grumpy man staring rather grudgingly at some pieces of paper piled on his desk, a pen held lazily in his left hand.

Wait, is he…?

"Levi! Look look!" Without warning, Hanji shoved me roughly into the room, her hand digging into my back. I stumbled in, almost losing my balance and face planting onto the spotless floor.

"It's Eren! Look how adorable he is!" She shouted, and I straightened up as the man at the desk flicked his eyes away from his documents to gaze coldly towards me. An agonizing second of silence passed, and then another before his eyes slid up to Hanji's smiling face. "Hanji." He growled, pushing out of his chair, "What. Did. You. Do?"

"Ahh, that. I don't know! He was going to turn into a titan and then poof! Mini Eren!" She unexpectedly swept me clean off my feet and squeezed me close to her body to squish her face against my cheek. I don't even try to escape her clutches. "But who cares? He's the cutest creature I've seen since Bean and Sawney-"

She shut up abruptly when she noticed Levi glaring at her with the scariest look I had ever seen. I froze up too when his glare slid down to meet my eyes, boring into me with cold intensity.

"Go and find out how it happened, shitty glasses, before Erwin comes in and blames me for it. You can leave the fucking brat here for the time being. Now go." I felt Hanji pause before reluctantly setting me back down onto the ground. She patted me on the shoulder with a stage whispered "I'll see you later!" before I heard her spin on her heels and her footsteps fade away down the corridor.

The man was leaning against his desk, looking down at me in an extremely superior manner. I thought I knew his face, but now I wasn't so sure.

"Brat. How old are you?" He asked unexpectedly, and I look up at him.

"Six." I said in an embarrassingly quiet voice, and when he continued to glare down at me I flicked my eyes to the gleaming floor. "S-sir." I added.

"Tch. And you really don't remember what you did before you came here? Did you have any remaining thoughts or anything?"

What I did before? Remaining thoughts?

"Well," I started awkwardly, "I-ah…the word 'fuck' was in my mind for a bit when I realized I was in that well, but I'm not sure why it was there or what it means."

The glare he gave me made me decide that I probably shouldn't ever open my mouth ever again.

But then I heard the tiniest of chuckles, and I looked back up to see a slight smile on his lips, probably as rare a sight as the rate of survival outside of the walls.

"'Fuck' is a nice word. You should always use it." He said, smirking. "I do it to your fifteen-year-old self all the time."

Yeah well that doesn't exactly explain what it means, does it? And what do you mean by my fifteen-year-old self?

"Um, excuse me." He glances down at me again. "Are you Lance corporal Levi?"

For a moment, his eyebrows twitch up and surprise is written in his eyes before it disappears completely. "How do you know?"

"I, uh, see you sometimes before and after your expeditions. I want to be like you when I grow up! I want to join the Scouting Legion!"

That was a rather embarrassing thing to say, I realized, but this realization always came after the words had already left my mouth. And just when I met the man I so worshipped and aspired to be like.

But rather than a glare, I received a soft expression- a glimmer of a smile.

"Is that right." He said quietly, looking at me almost sadly. "Well, maybe you just will."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just wanted to say I love all your reviews, you guys are too nice! **

**This was supposed to be all fluffy and plotless but it somehow isn't going in that direction...**

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"Aww he's adorable! Is he really Eren?" Petra exclaimed, and I flinched as she squished my cheeks together, giggling happily. I tried to ignore a man, apparently called Mike, sniffing curiously at my shoulder.

Seriously, what is with people here?

"Yeah…" Levi sighed, sipping from his cup. "Oi brat, you should eat."

I look down at my bread and sigh. It didn't look one bit appetizing, to be honest. I wasn't really hungry.

"Here, do you want me to feed you~?" Petra giggled, tearing off a piece of bread and waving it in front of my face. Seeing me seal my lips shut and scoot back further into my chair had her giggling even more. "Eat Eren, come on!"

"Tch, he's six, he can eat his own fucking food." Auruo grumped, his lips set in a hard grimace. He glared at me lazily with a distasteful expression, biting at his bread.

"Auruo! Don't swear in front of him!" The orange haired girl cried, blocking my ears with her hands. I looked down at the spotless floor glumly. I've already heard it, Petra. I've apparently thought it too.

I heard Levi sigh for the billionth time today. "I just hope the Military Police doesn't find out…" He set his cup down onto the wooden table and leant on one elbow, brushing microscopic dust particles off the tabletop.

Suddenly, there were three sharp knocks on the door.

Levi slid his gaze uninterestingly towards the door, and Petra jumped out of her seat. "I'll get it!" She said as she marched over and flung the door open.

Standing at the door was a smiling Hanji, an unhappy blonde man and an even more unhappy man with a Military Police jacket.

There was a moment of still silence before Hanji gave an awkward laugh. "Ah… I'm sorry~"

Levi slouched over even further onto the table. "Tch." He glared over at the three. "I knew it was only a matter of time, but already? Hanji-"

"Yeah, well, I told them Eren's run away somewhere but I guess that wasn't a good idea-"

"Quiet." The man with the horse logo said, and they stopped to look at him – I saw a receding hairline and dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. "Where is Eren Jaeger?"

Me?

What did he want with me?

"Being out Eren Jaeger immediately!"

"Ah… I am… I guess?" I stammered, trying to turn myself around clumsily in my chair.

He stared at me hard, almost creepily, before turning to Hanji. "So you were telling the truth at the end. Surprising." He suddenly marched quickly over to me, leaving mud footprints behind on the wood that received a scornful look from Levi. "You will come with us, then."

Wait, what?

He grabbed painfully hard onto my arm and dragged me off the chair, not letting go even when I fell right off my chair into a heap on the dirt-trekked floor.

"What are you going to do with a dumb brat like him?" I heard Levi's cold voice come from above me, and I looked up to see the man staring back just as emotionlessly.

"Jaeger is technically currently a titan. He attempted turning into a titan, there was a spark, but when the steam disappeared he was a young boy." He yanked me up forcefully, and I find myself biting back a whimper as my arm goes through a thorough amount of abuse.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're that simple-minded?" Levi rose from his seat, glaring to a terrifying degree.

"Levi, don't." The blonde man at the doorway spoke for the first time, his voice low and intelligent. His piercing blue eyes stared at the corporal.

"Are you saying you're fine with this, Erwin?"

"Of course not."

The man walked up to the one still grasping onto my arm. "I think it fair that we give him a chance. He has been harmless for the entire day, and in this physical state it's unlikely he'll cause problems."

The Military Police man looked at him with blank eyes, and then at me. His glare bore into me, and I felt his hand dig further into my flesh. "The chances of him turning into a titan in this state…?"

"Is close to zero." Hanji said swiftly, still standing in the doorway. "He does not have the ability or the knowledge to do so."

The man studied her for a moment, then me, and then finally released the grip on my arm. It throbbed for a bit and I rubbed at it through the fabric of my sleeve, staring up at the man. "Very well then." He said finally, "But to prevent unfortunate accidents, he must be chained at night and must have 24 hour surveillance."

"Didn't we just tell you that he's-" Levi started, but Erwin cut him off. "Yes, understood. We agree with your terms."

The man hesitated, but left in the end with an unconvinced look clear on his face. I watched him leave and the door close after him.

Questions swam endlessly through my mind. Why was he going to take me away? Why did everyone keep talking about how I was a titan?

I heard Hanji sigh and I glanced over at her, still standing near the doorway. Her hands were placed on her hips, and she looked at me from behind her thick glasses. "Eren." She said at last, letting her hands slip off to dangle beside on either side of her. "Have you finished eating?"

I didn't end up eating, but sure. I nodded at her, wondering what was going to happen.

"Come with me, then." She said and walked past the table, past the corporal and his squad, and paused at the bottom of the staircase when I didn't follow. "Come on."

I opened my mouth to ask her where we were going, but Levi spoke first, his arms crossed unhappily. "Hanji. Are you really thinking about chaining him up-"

"Well that's what they said to do. I don't want to either."

"He's six Hanji, fucking six!"

"I know that! But if it's between him being ripped apart to be experimented on or chaining him up, I'd rather the latter."

Not having a clue what they were discussing, I looked down at the floor. It was polished to such a degree that I could almost see my reflection in the surface.

"Levi, Hanji's right about this one. For now, we'll just have to go by their orders." Erwin's voice drifted over and I looked up just as Hanji grabbed my hand and pulled me along, but her grip was far gentler than the man from before.

I could almost feel the corpora's glare burning holes through my back.

Led by Hanji, we trudged up two flights of stairs before we reached a bare, cold room with a single white bed in the corner.

"This's going to be your room from now." She said as she pushed my reluctant body further into the coldness. "You'll sleep here."

Seeing her expectant stare, I climbed up onto the bed. It felt hard and uncomfortable underneath my body, but there was no way I was going to complain, not after all that weird stuff happened just then.

"And…" She sighed, and reached her hand out to either side of the bed to retrieve handcuffs with chains attached to them. "I don't want to do this at all, but you're permitted to wear these while you sleep."

I looked at them blankly. Chains? Handcuffs?

Now this bare room reminded me too much of a prison. And I was the criminal.

Why?

"I'm sorry." She added quickly when I remained silent, and I quickly regain what little composure I had. "Ah, no… it's fine." I stutter as she slipped them around my wrists and I heard a clank as they locked in. They felt cold and heavy around my wrists, and they weighed down my arms to the bed.

"I'm sorry, really." She said again, but I managed a small smile.

"It's okay. Good night." I told her, and she smiled weakly at me before patting me on the head and walking out of the door, shutting it securely behind her. As her footsteps faded away, I realized how alone I was, and shivering I struggle with the chains to pull the thin blanket over me. It does little to shield me from the impending chill, but it's better than nothing.

I looked sideways at the chains, the smell of rusting metal lingering in my nose. I heard them clink every time I moved.

Why am I chained?

I didn't want to be bound. I didn't do anything wrong.

I was trapped enough with the walls surrounding us.

I wanted to be free.

I felt a sudden warmth slide down my deathly cold cheeks, and I blink unexplainable tears out of my eyes.

I had no idea why I was crying, to be honest. I didn't want to either.

Struggling to lift one heavy arm up, I rub the tears off my face but give up when the chains connecting to the cuffs kept bashing into my face. More tears just slide down, anyway.

I stared at the ceiling, willing them to go away. Every breath I took in stung my lungs with icy air, and my throat burned.

Suddenly, I felt warmth engulf my hand, and I slide my eyes to the shackled wrist to find a pair of hands holding mine. I looked up to see where a face should be but found it was too dark to see.

"It's okay. Don't cry." The owner of the hands told me, gripping my hand gently. "I'm here."

Was it corporal…?

Whoever it was, the warmth from his hand and the sound of his voice were the only reasons I managed to slip into oblivion in the cold and lonely room.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A pretty crappy update, I apologise. I just though that I was obliged to dedicate a chapter to Heichou's favourite pastime: cleaning. **

**Thank you for all your reviews and stuff! You guys are all so great :)**

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When I opened my eyes, Petra's smiling face was the first thing I saw.

"Good morning Eren!" She beamed, quickly unlocking the shackles off my wrist and flinging them over the edge of the bed as though they didn't exist. "I was just about to wake you up-"

"How long is the fucking kid going to sleep?" I heard the door being slammed open and Auruo came in, his face contorted in his usual grimace.

"He's up, don't swear!" The orange-haired girl complained, putting her cross face on and pushing the chair she was sitting on out of the way.

"About time." I heard his grumpy voice as I hopped off the bed, my body feeling stiff and sore from the hard surface. How did I even manage to sleep here?

Oh yeah, those unidentified hands and that smooth, gentle voice.

They kind of reminded me of mum even though the voice was probably a man's, and I realized I hadn't thought about her too much. I wonder where she was?

"Don't just stand there, brat, we're going upstairs." Auruo spat at me, and I looked up just as Petra him lightly on the back and then took my hand in hers.

The hands from last night definitely weren't hers – they weren't warm at all.

She pulled me along by my hand upstairs, and from the corner of my eye I could see Auruo looking distastefully at me.

What did I do now…?

"Good morning corporal!" Petra piped up when we got upstairs and saw Levi drinking a steaming cup of coffee, scanning through a few yellowing parchment. He glared up from his document and grunted.

Yeah, okay it probably wasn't him last night either. It would be impossible for this grumpy clean freak to generate such a gentle voice.

I sat down in the only available seat, which happened to be right next to the corporal. I looked cautiously up at his face as he studied the documents on the table, watching his eyes skim across the page before sliding sideways to look down on me. "What?" He grumbled, taking another sip of his coffee.

"N-Nothing, sorry." I quickly cast my eyes downwards at the piece of bread, same as yesterday. Beside it was a bowl of soup, and I picked up my spoon and drank the hot liquid, feeling it burn as it travelled down my throat.

I was about halfway into the soup when Levi suddenly stood up from his chair. "Hurry up you guys." He said, carrying his cup away. "It's time for the seventh great house-cleaning to commence."

The other members around the table stood up grudgingly with a muffled "Yes, sir", and picked up their plates and cups to wash them. "You better hurry." Petra whispered to me before chasing after the others, picking up various cleaning utensils on the way.

Stuffing my uneaten bread into my mouth, I picked up mine too and jumped off the chair, nearly losing balance as I scampered over to where everyone was washing up.

"Just chuck your stuff in here and go get your cleaning stuff from Heichou." Erdo told me, scrubbing at all the plates in one go. I did as I was told and ran back to where Levi was standing, tying a white cloth around his head and mouth. He didn't notice me at all and went to grab a broom from the cupboard, so I tugged on his shirt, wondering what cleaning 'stuff' I was going to get.

"Oh, Eren." He said as he pulled the white cloth down from his mouth so he could speak. "Put this on." He was suddenly holding two pieces of pristine white cloth in his hand and giving it to me. "Take these too and go clean your room." He handed me a duster, a broom, some rags and a bottle of Windex. Overloaded with items, I set them carefully down onto the table and attempted to tie the pieces of cloth around my head. All I got were aching arms from lifting them up for so long, fumbling with a knot which refused to keep in place. I gave up with a lopsided piece of cloth hanging over half my face and blocking the sight of one of my eyes. Defeated, I sighed and went to gather the items back into my arms.

"Oi, come here." I heard Levi's voice and I turned around clumsily just as he tugged me over to him by my shirt. "You look ridiculous." He added as he crouched down so his eyes were level with mine and his hands reached behind me to tie the knot securely around my head. He fixed up the fabric around my mouth too and then gave me a little pat on the head as he stood up. "There. Go clean now."

"Thanks Heichou!" I smiled, but the cloth around my mouth muffled my words. My arms full with cleaning utensils, I made my way carefully up the stairs to my room, making sure I didn't drop anything on the way.

Once I got there, I realized I had no clue on how to go about this. The darkness last night had hid black grimy mold coating the walls and dust and dirt filling every crack. There were even mushrooms growing healthily underneath the bed I HAD BEEN SLEEPING ON.

Great.

I'd seen my mum clean before, so I tried to mimic her and picked up a rag and the bottle of Windex and scooted over to the nearest wall. Spraying the blue stuff onto it and scrubbing at it vigorously for five minutes did nothing except make my sore arms worse.

I gave up for now and went to dust around the room, sneezing as the particles went everywhere. Weren't these cloths supposed to help with that?

Sighing as I dusted off the last bit of dust from the various nooks and crannies, I proceeded by squatting down and trying to pick out all the dirt out of the cracks in the floor with the other end of the broom.

I concluded with the knowledge that I was indeed hopeless at cleaning.

I craned my neck back, sore from the dirt picking I had just endured, and I looked up to see the ceiling coated with fluffy, grey dust.

I should be able to do this much, right?

I grabbed the duster and climbed up onto the disastrously uncomfortable bed which was the initial cause of all the soreness in my body, and stood up on it, reaching up with the duster to dust the ceiling.

And of course, I wasn't tall enough to reach.

Not wanting to give up and leave the room with zero percent cleanness, I climbed up onto the headboard to balance precariously on the thin piece of wood, the hand that was duster-free on the wall next to me.

The tip of the duster reached the ceiling, just, and feeling proud I stood up on tippy-toes, feeling my legs tremble from the exertion. I brushed at the dust accumulating in heavy loads and saw it drifting down to the ground. I moved further away from the wall to dust off more, trying to reach out to the furthest stretches of dust.

Suddenly, the door was opened to reveal a grumpy Heichou, holding a broom in one hand. "Are you not done yet?" He grumped, crossing his arms.

I didn't really hear because dust got into my nose again and I sneezed, and then felt my feet slipping as I lost my balance. Suddenly I found myself falling, not backwards towards the bed but forward towards the solid, not quite dirt-free concrete.

_Fuck_, I thought, and then found myself wondering if I used it in the right context as I collided face-first into the concrete, the impact knocking the breath out of me.

Good one, Eren.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I heard Levi's voice approaching me as I managed to lift myself up onto my elbows to cough as blood ran down from my nose, clogging up everything. "Ugh." He grimaced as he pulled me up from the ground to sit me upright against him, holding another pristine white cloth he conjured out of nowhere against my dripping nose.

"Zorry Heicho," I apologized with my blocked nose, feeling ridiculously stupid. "I waz just trying to glean." I coughed as I felt more blood running into my throat. The metallic taste filled my mouth.

"Next time, if you can't do it just tell someone and they'll switch." He sighed as he ruffled my hair softly. "You made more of a mess here than when you started."

"Zorry." I said again, and he got up with a grunt, dragging me over so I was now leaning against the wall.

"Hold you nose." He said as he let go of it, and I quickly lifted my hand up to hold the bloodstained cloth to my stinging nose. "When it's stopped, come upstairs. Someone's demanding to see you."

I nodded as he stood up and left the room, his footsteps gradually fading away.

I wondered who would want to see me. I didn't know many people here.

Maybe it was those scary Military Police people again.

If it was, I didn't really want to see them.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks so so much for all your lovely reviews, I love reading them so much 3 This was written pretty quickly (I hope it's an okay update...), so if there are any terrible mistakes, please do tell! I'll fix them up ASAP :)**

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The very moment I reached the bottom of the stairs I was knocked over backwards off my feet by something rather aggressive, wrapping me in a tight embrace. Black hair was shoved in my face as it buried its face into my shoulder, pushing hard into my back with its hands so that my body was forced closer to its. I sneezed and flailed my limbs uselessly, a lot like a dying cockroach, and looked helplessly over at Levi, who was just watching us from his place at the table.

Help, heichou help!

"Eren!" The person holding me finally loosened her grip slightly, and the breath returned to me body. It lifted its head up and I saw a girl's sparkling eyes studying my face intently. "Oh my god." She whispered, threading her hand through my hair before resting it on my , completely ignoring my struggle. "You're. So. Adorable."

I looked desperately over at corporal again, who was still sitting there impassively sipping coffee. HELP.

When he purposely avoided my frantic gaze and went to look blankly at the table surface, I put my hands on her shoulder and pushed away so she couldn't get any closer to my face. "W-Who are you?" I heard myself stuttering as I tried desperately to squirm out of her deathly grip.

She looked at me intensely for a few moments, before opening her mouth. "I guess you wouldn't know me yet." She said. "I'm Mikasa. Your future wife."

…What?

"Stop telling the kid bullshit." I heard corporal grunt as he finally pushed himself out of the chair. "Isn't it obvious that _I'm_ his future partner?"

Suddenly, Mikasa's eyes turned lethally narrow and she flicked around, whipping her hair into my face. "Shut up, midget, I will not hand over my precious Eren over to you."

I saw his face twitch in annoyance as he approached us. "First, fucking let go of him, he looks like he's dying."

Mikasa grudgingly complied, and the suffocating hair and strangling limbs were finally gone from my body. I slid away from her, fearful of when she'll attack me again.

"Good. Second, why are you here?" Heichou asked, taking the opportunity that she was on the ground to glare down.

"I overheard Erwin talking to Armin." She stated boldly. "They were talking about how something weird had happened to Eren, and I didn't have training today so I came." At that she turned to look lovingly at me, and I tried my best to look anywhere but her. "I didn't know you were _this_ cute when you were little, Eren." She said adoringly, reaching her hand out to take mine in hers.

I didn't know what she meant, but she didn't seem to be threatening so I warily let her have my sweating hand.

Levi didn't seem to think like that.

"Don't fucking _touch _him so freely." He spat, and suddenly he bent down and easily scooped me up into his arms so my hand slipped from her grip. "He's mine."

Uhh Heichou?

"Fucking midget." She stood up swiftly so she was at her full height, this time looking distastefully down on him. "You have no right to have him. I will be taking him back with me."

"No you will not." Levi said sternly. "You should leave now if you want to get back in time."

"He's my brother, I will take care of him." She said and she put her hand under my arms to try and lift me up. Heichou's grip on me tightened, and he glared at her.

"I'm his corporal. I have to take care of him."

The girl growled, her eyes turning scarier by the second. Holy crap, I didn't want to be taken with her. I gripped onto Levi's shoulders, trying to hold on as she pulled me hard.

"Just hand him over-"

"I'm so sorry, Heichou!" The door was suddenly burst open, and a blond boy was standing there, panting. "My apologies for her interrupting you! Come on Mikasa, let's go."

He came in through the door, and took her arm in a tight grip. "Armin." She mumbled. "That perverted midget is-"

"Mikasa!" The blonde exclaimed, bobbing his head in apology at us. "S-sorry, we'll leave now."

Is that Armin…?

I reached my arm cautiously out to grip onto his sleeve. "Armin?" I breathed. Why was he suddenly so tall?

"Oh." He suddenly stopped in his path, eyeing me carefully with his blue eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't think I know you." He said quickly, his eyes darting sideways, before dragging Mikasa along with him to the door. "Sorry for everything, Heichou!"

The door was shut behind them, and it was just Levi and I once more.

Why isn't anyone telling me anything? That was definitely Armin.

Levi set me down onto the ground just as Hanji and the rest of his squad came filing in, wiping the sweat off their foreheads and neatly folding the cloths they had been wearing around their heads.

"We've finished cleaning!" They announced, milling into the kitchen. "Time for lunch!"

"Go and help." Levi told me softly and pushed me a little towards them, and I turned around to look at him.

"Where are you going?" I asked him, wondering if I could come with him instead. I wasn't much good in the kitchen.

"A meeting." Was all he replied before turning around and walking out of the door.

I followed him with my eyes before Petra called my name and I scampered to the kitchen, wondering what we were having for lunch.

-x-

[_Levi_]

"How is Eren going?" Erwin asked, his chin resting on his hands.

"Alright." I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "Mikasa and Armin came around today. He was pretty confused."

"Oh?" The commander said, raising an eyebrow. "He should know Armin by that age."

"He did."

"Well I hope Armin didn't tell him anything. We can't have him find out he's living in the world of his fifteen year-old self just yet."

I looked at the dusty desk, unreflective and dirty. I wanted to clean it desperately. "Why not?"

"Quite a few Military Police members are out for his blood. If he finds out he really is a titan-shifter, then it could increase the chance of his death, since his identity would be easier to discover. And according to Hanji, it seems that in this six year-old state, he's pretty easy to kill."

I think about that for a second. I guess it made sense. "He's going to find out eventually."

Erwin sighed, and got up from his chair. "Well, your job is to make sure he doesn't."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I just wanted some ereri fluff and Hanji insisted she had to do her beloved experiments, so this shit happened.**

**Reviews are so beautiful and very, very appreciated ^.^**

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"It's experiment time!" Hanji announced loudly as I picked up the last piece of bread and crammed it into my mouth. "Come on, hurry up Eren!" She grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me out of my chair. Wondering why I was always interrupted during mealtimes, I attempted to keep up with her as she dragged me away from the table, still trying to chew the bread in my mouth. I could feel Petra's worried eyes watching after us as we disappeared into the stairwell.

We went quickly through a hallway and I was about to ask her where we were going when she finally slammed a door open and marched excitedly in, her eyes gleaming as she pulled me in after her.

It seemed empty except for a busy-looking desk on one side of the room, piled with documents and books.

She made me sit down on a chair placed a little away from it, and then suddenly she had a clipboard tucked snuggly underneath her arm; a knife and a pen ready in her hands.

Wait, a _knife?_

Seeing the obsessive sparkle in her eyes, I shuffled to the edge of the cold, metal chair, watching her cautiously.

What is she about to do…?

She walked over to me, smiling. "Don't worry, it'd be real quick." She said, and then grabbed onto the arm closest to her. I tried to pull it away from her but her grip was strong, and she quickly tugged the sleeve up to expose the skin on my forearm.

"Hanji, what are you-"

"Don't worry, don't worry." She muttered again before swiftly slicing a clean, deep cut onto the soft flesh of my arm.

Pain shot up, sharp and stinging, and I bit down a cry and tried to tug my arm away from her, and when that failed tried to kick her away as she pried at the bleeding wound, examining It carefully as she stretched it in various painful directions.

"Hmmm…" She said at last, and let go of my arm absentmindedly, making me tumble awkwardly onto the floor. She went to scribble notes into her clipboard, the blood from my arm smudging onto the paper. "No regeneration, whatsoever."

Regeneration?

Was she crazy? Of course I can't regenerate. Only titans do.

I sat on the ground looking at her write thoughtfully into her clipboard, trying to avoid the freely flowing blood from getting onto my shirt. It dripped onto the ground, and I kind of stared at it for a bit, not really knowing what to do with it.

Finally, she looked up from her writing. "Oh sorry," She said, "You can go now."

I stood up from my spot and walked to the door, the palm of my hands sweating as I went past her. Hopefully she won't do anything else-

"Actually, wait a moment. Come here."

I froze at the doorway, afraid to look over my shoulder. What was she going to do now? Cut off my entire arm to see if I regenerate if I had a larger wound? Gouge my eyes out to see if I regenerate if the wound wasn't on my limb? Break my bones to see-

"Eren, come on."

I gulped and turned around, wondering what sort of hideous instrument she had in her hands. But when I looked, she was digging through a first-aid box, unearthing a roll of white bandages.

Oh.

"Come sit here. Hold your arm out." She said, tapping onto the chair distractedly, and I slowly did as I was told. My arm was still bleeding when it disappeared behind tightly wrapped bandages, but a red stain had already bled through by the time she was finished. "It'll stop soon. Does it hurt?"

I nod slightly, holding my bandaged arm protectively to myself. Of course it hurts, you just sliced my arm open.

"Okay! Well tell me when the pain suddenly disappears or something! Oh and try not to tell Levi about this if you can – he'll get pissed at me." She said cheerfully, and then shooed me out of the door, closing it tightly after me. I gratefully went down the hallway, relieved that no more injuries were inflicted upon me today.

It took me a while to realize I didn't know which direction of the hallway I should have gone.

Soon, I reached an intersection with the choice of going left or right, both looking completely identical to each other. I took a few steps in each direction, wondering if there were any signs to lead me back.

There were none.

Ummm.

I wasn't lost. Of course not.

It's probably left. Definitely left.

I had to turn a corner, go up a flight of stairs, travel down a corridor and turn another corner before finally admitting that I was lost. Completely and utterly lost.

Well.

Since mum always said that if you're lost, you shouldn't move around and get yourself more lost, I decided I would just sit here for a bit and wait for someone to walk by.

Hopefully…

My arm was still throbbing and the afternoon sun was filtering in through a narrow window when I sat down in one of the corridors, leaning against a concrete wall.

I wondered to myself how I could possibly get lost inside one building, and then blamed myself for having no sense of direction. Ugh.

I hugged myself as the corridor grew colder and colder, and watched the orange rays reflect long shadows onto the wall in front of me. I winced as my knee dug into my arm, and lifted my sleeve up to stare at the seeping red on the bandage blankly.

The people here were scary. Really scary.

I wanted to go back.

I thought about mum and dad and Armin, and when I did I felt warm and safe, even in the chill. I didn't realize when my eyelids had slid closed and my consciousness was slowly fading away.

The last thought I had was of Armin talking excitedly about the endless land of ice and the deep, blue sea, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

-x-

[_Levi_]

"I didn't do anything, seriously!" Hanji exclaimed, looking at me innocently through her thick glasses.

"Well, he's not here right now, is he?" I growled back. I was just gone for a few hours, and this happens. "The brat's supposed to have 24 hour surveillance, did you fucking forget?"

"Oh oops. I took him to my room and then I just let him get back by himself."

I felt my temper rising rapidly. Can I just smash her face in with a brick? "Ugh. I'll go fucking look for him. But you're explaining this to Erwin and the fucking Military Police if he's gone missing."

"He wouldn't have~" She said as she turned away. "He's a good boy."

I sighed. I give up. I hope a titan eats her.

I turned around and start ascending the stairs, my boots echoing through the stairwell. It wasn't that easy to navigate through the castle, but I didn't think it would be enough to get lost. Well, I guess Eren's only been here for a day and a bit.

I reached the level where Hanji's office was, and I walk through the hallway. It was almost completely dark, and the castle at night had an eerie feel.

He wasn't here.

I went back into the stairwell and went another level up. As I stepped into the corridor, I wished I had bought some light here with me. I could hardly see a thing.

I managed to navigate through the corridor and then turned a corner. My eyes immediately slid to an especially shadowy spot on one edge, and as I neared it I could just make out a little kid – his head bowed forwards and his arms wrapped tightly around his knees.

Eren.

"Oi. Brat." I said as I stood in front of him. When he didn't wake up, I kicked randomly, and I felt my foot connect to his arm. "Wake up-"

A cry interrupted me, and startled I looked down to see him wide-eyed and whimpering, clutching onto his arm.

What? Did I kick that hard?

I quickly knelt down in front of him, and cautiously slid one hand to his freezing cheek so he would look at me. "What's wrong?" I found myself asking, my other hand reaching for the arm I had kicked.

"It's nothing! Sorry…" He quickly said as he tried to pull off a tired smile. "Thanks for finding me though, I was kind of lost-"

"Just fucking show me." I found myself growling and tugged his arm away from him. I lifted up the sleeve to find it bandaged, blood visibly soaked through.

"Brat?" I asked as he tugged it back away from my sight, hugging his legs even closer to himself. "How did that happen?"

Who _dare_ hurt him-

"I… s-sorry…"

"Hey."

"Um, well it's just a little cut. It was necessary I think-"

"Who did it?"

"I-uh, I tripped and fell into some knives-"

I felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "Are you a _fucking_ idiot?"

He looked at me uneasily, and then gave a little sigh. "Uh well, Hanji did. It was for an experiment."

That shitty- glasses… I'll kill her one day.

"Seriously, you could've just said that."

I sighed and slid my arms around him and lifted him up, and felt him immediately wrap his arms around my neck for warmth. "You okay?" I asked quietly, just in case he was hiding some other injury that was inflicted upon him. He nodded slightly, burying his face into the side of my neck.

The walk back downstairs didn't seem as dark and lonely as before.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Basically just a pointless fluff chapter to fulfill my own cravings for this lovely shit. Reviews are very appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed ^.^**

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I had probably fallen asleep again while I was in Levi's arms, because when I came to I was lying on the hard, cold bed, facing the empty ceiling. It took me a while to realize how deathly cold it was, and I scrambled up to get the blanket that was spread out messily at my feet (I probably kicked it off myself – I wasn't a very peaceful sleeper.) The iron cuffs jangled noisily, and so I held onto them to keep them from making too much noise. The metal dug into my wound and I winced as I finally managed to sit up on the bed.

That was when I noticed Levi in a chair next to the bed. He was sleeping - his usual frown gone from his face, and his arms were crossed tightly as though to keep himself warm.

I looked at the blanket, then back at him, and then sighed and reached for the thin piece of cloth, trying to keep my movements minimal as possible so the clanking of the chains won't disrupt his peace. Once I had a hold on the blanket, I leant over the side of the bed as far as the chains let me and placed it onto corporal's body. He muttered something incoherent and loosened his arms a bit. I felt a smile tugging at my lips at the sight and lay back down onto the bed, shivering as I curled up on my side.

It didn't take long for me to slip into sleep again, huddling to myself with the endless chattering of my teeth as a lullaby.

-x-

The first thing I felt as my consciousness trickled back was how warm it was. I wanted to stay like this forever if I could – lulled by the gentle rise and fall of something I was pressed against and the comfortable hand stroking my hair.

"You're awake aren't you? Idiot." The voice came from above me, and as it came the hand stopped. I gave a little groan and nestled further into the warmth, and felt the warm hand threading through my hair again. "Tch. Come on, get up."

I lazily opened my resisting eyelids as I felt myself being pulled to an upright position, and found myself staring into Levi's face. The blanket I had draped on him last night was wrapped tightly around me now, enveloping me in warmth.

"What the fuck were you doing? You were freezing this morning." He said, his hand coming up to touch my forehead. "And now, you've got a fucking fever. Good job. Keep the bloody blanket for yourself next time."

"You looked cold though." I muttered, my eyes drooping from sleepiness. I leant back against him, feeling the rise and fall of his chest against me.

"Worry about yourself, brat." He said, and his hand rubbed more warmth into my back. "Get up. You have to eat."

Eat? I didn't want to eat. "I'm not hungry." I mumbled, my mind drifting to the realms of sleep. I'm popped back to reality when Levi stood up with a sigh, taking me with him.

"I don't care. You're eating." He grumbled, and carried me down the stairs to where the rest of his squad was already seated.

"Good morning, Eren!" Petra piped up as usual, and I tried to smile back as Levi dumped me into my chair, hard and uncomfortable compared to the warm bliss from just then. Levi then came and dumped a bowl full of porridge in front of me, and seated himself next to me, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"You're not leaving until you drink every drop of that, understand?" He ordered, and I was forced to nod under his cold, threatening glare. I picked up my spoon and shove the steaming liquid into my mouth.

It tasted… good?

I cram another spoonful into my mouth, followed by another. My hunger that was completely non-existent before came tumbling back, and in a matter of minutes I had licked the bowl clean, my stomach warm and full. I looked up at Levi for approval but he grabbed my face, and started rubbing it vigorously with a piece of cloth. "Tch." He spat, "Can't even eat properly."

"How's your arm Eren?" I heard Petra ask when Levi was done with cleaning my face. I looked down at it, and found it freshly bandaged, and also realized that the stinging pain from yesterday was reduced to a dull ache.

"It's better." I replied, and Petra beamed at me with a bright "That's good!" while Auruo, who hadn't spoken the whole time pulled another of his unhappy looks. I tried to smile back at her, but then my nose itched and I sneezed, immediately causing Levi to glare at me with an even more distasteful look than Auruo.

"You." He said, still glaring at me. "Go to your room and fucking sleep."

"What, why?" I asked, feeling perfectly fine apart from being a bit drowsy. I wanted to go outside or something today-

"Go. Now." Levi ordered, but then grabbed my shirt to twist me around. "But first, blow your nose."

"I can do it myself." I struggled, trying to get the cloth off my nose, but his hands kept me from pushing him away.

"Don't fucking struggle, hurry up." He said, irritated, and I give in and blow my nose into the cloth. He gives me a disgusted look when I'm done, as I expected, and immediately went to chuck the thing out.

See. That was exactly why I didn't want to.

I slid off my chair, thinking I'd just do as I'm told and go to my room since I'm going to be forced to eventually anyway.

But it was weird because as soon as I stood up, the world started spinning around and I had to topple backwards against the chair, wondering why my head was suddenly throbbing so much.

"Eren, are you okay?" I heard Petra's worried voice coming closer when I tried to stand against and failed miserably, as I do most things, and this time ended up with my butt on the cold stone ground.

"Ugh. Just leave him alone – I'll drag him back up." Levi approached me and pulled me up by the hand, and actually dragged me across the room. I prepared to be bumped up the stairs in the same manner, but surprisingly he scooped me up into his arms with a grunt, probably to excuse me from the scrapes and bruises that would result from dragging me up the stairs.

I had already half fallen asleep by the time we were back in my room, and my eyes refused to open even as he dumped me onto the bed, shoving the blanket onto me. I curled up into it, feeling sleep envelop my senses.

I then felt a few thousand kilograms of weight dropped on top of me and I open my eyes a crack to find thick blankets piled on my body.

"I… don't need this many…" I mumbled, wriggling to get comfortable, but Levi just shoved another blanket on my face so I couldn't talk anymore.

"Just sleep, brat. Sleep and get fucking better."

Wondering if this was him trying to be nice, I kick off a few of the blankets and snuggle into the rest, and heard him leaving the room as I carelessly let sleep take over me.

I had long forgotten what came to me in times like these.

_Nightmares._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I don't know what's happening anymoreeeeee :D :D this is actually the most terrible chapter update ever and I'm quite ashamed, but I'll forgive myself for the time being since it's like 2am. I'm jam packed with exams for the next two weeks too, god dammit. **

**Well, it was fun writing this ^.^ (please do tell me the places where I have stuffed up – there's bound to be heaps)**

**Thanks for all your kind reviews! Reading them makes me happy \(^o^)/**

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_Where am I?_

Everything seemed to be washed in a light red-orange, and I looked around. I realized that I was standing just outside my house. Everything was normal.

I suddenly notice that some houses around me were broken down – all wood and stone rubble, littering the ground in a heap.

_Strange_.

Next, I heard screaming. The screaming of people - in pain and in fear.

There's footsteps now too- loud and thundering.

Everything seemed far away and too close at the same time.

I faced straight, and saw my own house. It was crumpled down too. I dimly wonder what happened.

Then I saw Mum. Her pained face; her legs entrapped in the rubble of our house.

_Why was she…?_

"Go!" She was shouting, tears streaming down her face. "Eren! Mikasa!"

"Mum!" I yelled back. I could lift her out from under there, and everything would be alright.

I was about to run towards her, when I realized I couldn't. I couldn't move a single step towards her.

That was when I saw it.

Its body was huge and scrawny- its head set precariously on top.

Its teeth were bared in a smile – a smile too big for it's face.

A titan.

It reached down into the rubble, and came back up with a struggling body in one of its massive bony hands, and even from afar I somehow recognize it was Mum.

"Mum!" I found myself yelling, and I reach my arm out to her. I could save her, and we could run away together. "Mum!"

But instead, I found I was moving away, an unfaltering grip around my body. "Mum! No!"

Why can't I help her?

I was forced to watch as it lifted her up into the air, her fists beating aimlessly at the hands lifted its hand over her head. Took a hold of her head.

Wrenched her apart.

Just as easily as plucking an apple from a tree.

Blood spurted from where her head used to be – her body now limp and unmoving. I could feel a scream tearing through my throat and the tears streaming endlessly down my face, my body desperately trying to escape the arm holding me back.

The titan lifted the body up and placed it lovingly into its mouth before biting down hard with its huge teeth.

Blood dribbled down its chin and chest as it gulped down, and then it bared its bloody teeth in a wide smile.

No_. No._

The blood-red world close in around me, and the last thing I saw was the titan grinning at me, its eyes squinted into narrow slits.

My eyes snapped open in the darkness and a heavy drumming filled my ears, beating too fast for me to follow. I stared at the ceiling for a while, listening to the sounds of my harsh breaths and feeling the warm tears streaming down my cheeks and drenching the pillow beneath me.

No.

It can't be mum, she can't just get eaten.

I thought there hasn't been a titan inside the walls for a century?

It was just a dream. Yeah, nothing to be scared about.

That thought really didn't offer any comfort, and I curled up onto my side.

The blood. The mangled body.

It was like I had seen it all before.

Trying to steady my breathing, I scrambled up on the bed. My head swam violently; my stomach weighed a ton.

I had to see mum.

Why hadn't I seen her all this time anyway?

I suddenly notice the metal cuffs around my wrist. Trying to gulp down the sobs, I scramble at them uselessly. "Get them off me." I vaguely heard myself whispering. "Get them _off._"

My entire vision was dim, and nothing felt real anymore. I only faintly saw myself yanking hard on the chains, over and over again, before going to pound at them hard with my fists. I knew it was futile every time I felt the pain of the metal against my hand, but I blindly kept at it until a hand came from nowhere and firmly gripped onto my bruised one. It kept holding on even as I tried to pull away.

Just like the arm that kept me from saving Mum.

"Let go!" I thought I'd yelled, but only a strangled whimper seemed to have come out. I tried again, and this time got nothing.

"Eren, fucking-" I yanked hard again to escape the grip, and when that failed I bit hard at the person's arm. I tasted fabric fill my mouth before I felt a sharp sting on my cheek, and surprised, I let my jaw go loose.

"Calm the fuck down." I heard a familiar growl sound near me as he pushed me down onto the bed, his grip on my wrist still unfaltering. I struggled for a moment before giving up when his other hand pressed hard at my back, pinning me there. "Calm. Down."

Please… just please let me see my Mum.

Please let me forget that bloodied image imprinted in my mind.

I felt the hand on my back loosen it's hold as I pressed my face into the sheets, feeling the strain in my throat disappear and the tears to flood out freely. I felt it soaking into the sheets, warming it before making it cold and uncomfortable. The hand disappeared completely when my back started wracking with uncontrollable hiccups and sobs, muffled by the pillow I had dragged clumsily over towards me.

I heard Levi curse softly under his breath before seating himself onto the edge of the bed. "Here." He said quietly, and I felt my arms being lifted up. There was the sound of keys unlocking and then I felt the iron cuffs fall from my wrist and land onto the bed. "If you struggle, I'm putting them back on."

I hug my throbbing arms to myself, but then felt Levi picking me up and positioning me on his lap. I stayed tense for a second before giving in and leaning forwards onto him, pressing my face into his shoulder.

"It's okay." He whispered, rubbing my sweaty back in soothing circles. When I still couldn't get my crying in control, he sighed. "Come on."

I gulp and took a few shaking breaths in. I could still see Mum's mangled body every time I closed my eyes, and I dug my face even further into Levi's shoulder, feeling the bone dig painfully into my face.

After a few more minutes, I'm finally reduced to shaky breaths and the occasional hiccup, and I loosened the hold I never knew I had on Levi's shirt. He had his hand in my hair now, slowly threading his fingers through.

"I- I'm sorry…" I make myself apologise, fearful of his reply, if any at all. Now that I could actually think, I didn't even know why I had been so resisting in the first place. And it was unthinkable for me now to oppose, let alone _bite_ the man I had admired for my entire life.

_Embarrassing._

And for a painful moment, he stayed silent, but then he pulled me upright so I could now see his face. He studied my eyes for a second before sighing. "You fucking scared me, idiot." He said, scrunching my hair up. "Was it a dream?"

I nod, and then open my mouth. "Do you know where my Mum is?" I asked quietly, feeling amazingly stupid. "She hasn't… died…. Or anything?"

I stared down at the sheets, too ashamed to look up into his eyes. He didn't say anything for a while, but when he did, I looked up. "I'm sure she isn't." He said, his voice quiet. "You'll see her when you go back, definitely."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Oh my god, I'm so sorry for not posting for so long. I was being extremely lazy (it's the holidays too! D: ) and I had zero inspiration. But anyway, here's a crappy chapter update. Yay! Also, it'd be so great if you guys could give me some ideas of what you want to happen in the future, because as I said earlier, I HAVE NO INSPIRATION *sobs*. But apart from that, thanks for all your lovely reviews! I love them all dearly ^.^**

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[_Levi_]

I have to admit – I was worried. Really, fucking worried. And his sudden outburst of panic in the middle of the night really didn't help anything.

It took him a whole hour to actually calm down and go back to sleep, and even when he did I was nervous he might start freaking out again if I put him back down, and I really couldn't be sure if I could calm him down again. So I ended up staying there for about three hours before I finally left the dungeon (which, by the way, was seriously too cold) and went upstairs to my room.

I really wasn't in the mood to go back to sleep, though, so after a few minutes of restless brooding I went down the hall to Hanji's study to see if she was there. Sure enough, I could see the light of her candle flooding out onto the hallway from the slightly open door, and I pushed the door open and let myself in.

She perked up the moment I set foot into the room. "Ooh Levi! What's up?" She exclaimed as she snapped the book she was reading shut, her glasses reflecting the candlelight eerily.

"Ugh, nothing." I grumbled as I leaned against the wall, folding my arms. "That brat just started freaking out about some nightmare."

"Oh, he did?" Hanji replied absentmindedly, pulling out some documents with almost unreadable scribbles etched across it. "That's weird. He seemed perfectly happy the last time I saw him."

I don't say anything and watch her for a while, scanning documents and occasionally adding her own little scribble here and there. She was the one to break the silence.

"Maybe you're being too hard on him?" She said, putting her pen down and facing me. "You're already harsh enough to adults- you're probably too intimidating for a kid."

I frowned, but consider it for a bit. Was I being too harsh to him? I didn't really know. He was troublesome, yes, and I had my moments of annoyance but all in all I did try to be at least a little less threatening than usual. I didn't even punish him for not cleaning his room properly.

But I had to admit that I really wasn't suited for looking after little brats like him.

"Shitty- glasses." I finally said. "Can I ask you to look after him for a while then?"

Hanji suddenly froze, and then suddenly swiveled her head around to stare at me. "Really?" She said excitedly, her eyes lighting up manically. "Can I really look after him?"

…Was I really making the right decision in letting this psycho titan-freak take care of Eren?

I must have given a slight nod or something because she leapt out of her chair to jump up and down on the spot. "Thank you Levi!" She squealed. "Whooo! So many experiments to do! I'm so excited!"

I reached out and grabbed the collar of her shirt so she would stop jumping. "I trust you to not hurt him, do you understand?" I growled, remembering what she did to Eren's arm. "If you do, I guarantee I will cut your head off."

"Okay, okay." She said, prying my fingers off her. She did a little pirouette before returning to her desk. "Now go away, Levi, I need to list up all the experiments that will be conducted." She waved me off, and I glared at her before walking out of her study, still skeptical of what she would do.

She wouldn't do anything too bad, right? She was crazy, but I trusted her. And she's probably more used to kids than I am.

Wondering how Eren was going, I walk down the steps again to his room. I stop just outside the doorway, peering in to where he was.

All I could see from here was that he wasn't moving much except for the gentle rise and fall of his back. That means he was sleeping, right?

My eyes fell onto the iron chains, falling uselessly on either side of the bed. I would get in a ton of trouble if the Military Police found out that I couldn't make myself put the cuffs back onto him after he fell asleep. I don't regret it though.

I took another look at him before turning around and heading upstairs.

I wouldn't be seeing him for a while.

-x-

[_Eren_]

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was a close up of Hanji's face stuck right in front of mine. "Good morning!" She hollered, and I stare at her face for a solid minute with my heart thumping too hard in my chest.

"G-good morning Hanji…" I managed to finally stutter, and she straightened up, her smile warm.

"After you _quickly_ eat your breakfast, we're gonna have a bit of an experiment time." She said, placing her hands on her hips. "Go go go." She said when I didn't move, poking hard at my back so I was forced off my bed. "Petra's probably still eating too, so she'll take care of you. I'll come fetch you in about ten minutes."

I nod slightly, letting her push me to the bottom of the stairwell. "See you later!" She grinned, and disappeared back into the room. I glimpsed her grabbing her jacket uniform from the chair she was sitting on as I walked up the stairs, my footsteps echoing through the stone stairwell. It didn't take long till I was in the upper level of the building.

"Eren! Good morning!" Petra chirped up the moment she saw me. I smiled at her and climbed into the seat beside her, noticing that there was nobody else at the table.

"Good morning, Petra." I said, taking a hold of the bread in front of me. "Where are the others?"

"Oh, they're all taking care of their horses. I already did mine earlier this morning so that's why I'm left here." She smiled, taking a small bite of her half-eaten bread. "I'm glad you fixed up that cold, though. Did you sleep well?"

Did I sleep well? For some reason, I didn't think the answer was a yes.

Last night… what happened again?

The image of Mum's bloody body suddenly flew into my mind. Then the titan, it's mouth open frighteningly wide. The stench of blood filled my nostrils, as sickening and terrifying as the flecks of blood that flew out as the titan bit its teeth down hard onto Mum….

No no no, stop this. _Stop this._

It was a dream. A _dream_. It didn't actually happen. Mum was alive somewhere. Maybe not here, but somewhere.

I make myself close my eyes momentarily before opening them again, trying to calm the breathing that was threatening to hitch and quicken. "…Yeah. I slept well." I grab a bite from my bread to hide the fear probably obvious on my face.

"Oh, that's good." She smiled, and I did my best to smile back with a mouth full of bread. I watched her finish her breakfast and then rise from her seat. "I think Hanji's probably going to come down to fetch you soon, so I'll be washing up if you need me."

I reply with a muffled 'okay', and she patted me softly on the head before she walked outside, her boots clacking on the wooden floor. My eyes linger on the door for a moment before I cram the remaining bread into my mouth just as I heard Hanji approaching me from behind.

"Eren~!" She shouted, thumping me on the back. "You finished eating? It's experiment time~!"

I turned around to face her excited, happy face, and sighed.

This wasn't going to end well.


End file.
